Pedestal-table.



Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

0. G. FRANKS. PEDESTAL TABLE.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 8. 190B.

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gwuantoz 1 Fry/7g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORRIN G. FRANKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

PEDESTAL-TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed April 8, 1908. Serial No. 425,891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORRIN G. FRANKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Pedestal-Table, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to im rovements in pedestal extension tables, andas particular reference to the mechanism now commonly employed forlocking the pedestals together when the table and pedestal-sections areclosed and which is primarily designed to draw the pedestal-sections toether snugly so as to eliminate the unsight r crack that would otherwiseoccur at the meeting edges thereof.

The objects and advantages of the invention together with the novelfeatures thereof will hereinafter appear and be articularly pointed outin the appended claims.

Referring to the drawingFigure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview of a table having my improvements; Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofthe locking devices and their connections; Fig. 3 is a plan view of theplate which supports the operating mechanism, and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 aredetails hereinafter referred to.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts in all the figuresof the drawing.

In illustrating the operation and construction of my improved device, Ihave shown the same in connection with the conventional style or form ofpedestal extension table, wherein, 1 designates the table-top, dividedas usual, 2 the slides, 3, 4, the pedestal-sections, 5 the bridging forconnecting them to the slides, 6 the cross-piece, and 7 the center-leg.

At the inner sides and at the opposite edges of the pedestal-section 4,is located a preferably headed stud 8, the same projecting from a plate9, having screw-holes through which holes screws are passed into thepedestal-section. At similar points on the companion pedestal-section 3,are located slotted housings or keepers 10, employed for supporting in aposition to engage the said studs, a pair of sliding hooks 11. Thehousings or keepers 10 are preferably formed with an intermediatelongitudinal slot ,12, beyond the ends of the same angularly bent as at13, at which points they are transversely slotted, as at 14, and beyondtheir bent ends or portions are carried forward and perforated to formsecuring-ends 15. If preferred, however, these housings or keepers maybe otherwise shaped.

The hooks 11, have at their inner or rear ends transversely disposedshanks 16, and the same are located in the slots 14 of the keepers, theends of the shanks extending above and below the said slots. Alimitingstud, 17, projects from the face of each shank and extendsthrough the longitudinal slot 12 of each keeper, whereby, as will beapparent, the movement of the hooks vertically is limited to the lengthof the said slots 12. The hooks 11, as will be noted, projecthorizontally from the keepers and beyond the edges of thepedestal-section upon which they are mounted, and are in a horizontalplane slightly below the op osite studs 8, so that the hooks are normaly in a position to en gage the studs 8 and are designed to so engagewhen raised vertically for that purpose by means of certain operatingmechanism now to be described, or its equivalent, such mechanism,whatever its form, being arranged for convenient operation near the edgeof the table-top.

Upon the bridging of the pedestal-section 3, or that section carryingthe hooks, I locate a plate 18, perforated for the reception of screws,by means of which it is secured in place rigidly upon the bridging, andbetween its ends the plate is upwardly bent, so as to clear the bridgingand in its bent portion provided with a curved slot 19. At its forwardend, the plate is furthermore provided with a vertical ear 20, whichoccurs immediately above a recess cut in the front end or edge of thebridging, and designated as 21, and in this ear is pivoted a bell-cranklever 22.

Pivoted to the outer or lower end of the bell-crank, as at 23, is ayoke-piece 24, at the upper end of which is formed a bifurcation 25,that receives the bell-crank and through which the pivot 23 passes. Theouter lower ends of the said yoke-piece are provided with horizontallydisposed perforated ears 26, and through the same project the upper endsof a pair of draft-rods 27. These rods 27 preferably have their upperends threaded, and are provided above and below the ears 26 withadjusting nuts 28. The lower ends of the draft-rods are flattened andperforated for pivotal connection to the outer ends of thebefore-described limiting-studs 17.

An operating handle, 80, is pivoted at its inner end, as at 31, to theplate 18, and extends from thence preferably outwardly to a convenientpoint near the edge of the table. A draft-link, 32, is connected at itsinner end to the upper branch of the bell-crank, and at its outer end tothe lever 30 by means of a rivet 33, the latter passing downwardlythrough the curved slot 19 in the plate 18, below which the rivet isheaded.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description.The tablesections are slid together in the usual manner, and by suchoperation, the slidinghooks are brought to a position under the studs,after which, swinging the operating handle or lever to the left, thelever through the draft-link, rocks the bell-crank, thus, through theinstrumentality of the rods 27, are the sliding hooks raised in theirguides or keepers, and the inclined faces of the hooks engaging With thestuds, cause the two pedest,alse.0 tions to be drawn snugly together andso held. Of course, a movement of the operating handle or lever to theright will serve to release the hooks of one pedestal section from thestuds of the companion pedestal-section, whereupon the table may beopened or extended.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is:

1. The combination, in a pedestal extension-table, of pedestal-sectionlocking-mechanism carried by one of the pedestal-sections thereof, abell-crank mounted on said section and connected to the lockingmechanism, an operating lever mounted on said section and connected tothe bell-crank, a base-plate for supporting said lever and provided witha curved slot concentric to a pivot connecting the inner end of thelever with the base-plate,

a draft-rod connected at one end to the bellcrank, and a rivetconnecting the opposite end of the rod with the lever and curved slot ofthe base-plate.

2. The combination, in a pedestal extension-table, of studs mounted atthe opposite edges of one of the pedestal sections, keepers located atthe corresponding edges of the companion pedestal-section, said keepersbeing each provided with upper and lower transverse guide-slots andbetween the same with a longitudinal slot, stud engaging-hooks extendinglaterally from the keepers and provided with vertically disposed shankslocated in the guide-slots of the keepers, studs extending from theshanks and through the longitudinal slots thereof, and means carried bythe pedestal-section for raising and lowering the hooks within thekeepers.

.3. The combination, in a pedestal extension-table, of studs mounted atthe opposite edges of one of the pedestal-sections, keepers providedwith longitudinal slots at the opposite edges of the companion section,opposite hooks adapted to engage the studs mounted for vertical movementin said keepers, studs projecting from the faces of the hooks andthrough the longitudinal slots of the keepers, whereby to limit themovements of the hooks in the keepers, draft-rods connected to the lastnamed studs, and means carried at the upper ends of thepedestal-sect=ion for elevating the hooks through the medium of thedraft-rods.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ORRIN G. FRANKS.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. GENG, GERARD J. BIOHL.

